Marvel Studios confirmed that only one room of the original Avengers Tower is still intact in Thunderbolts*'s new Watchtower. Standing tall in the Manhattan skyline at 200 Park Avenue, New York City, Stark Tower debuted in The Avengers and quickly became Avengers Tower in the aftermath of The Battle of New York. Years later, in Spider-Man: Homecoming, Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark officially sold his skyscraper HQ in favor of a new Avengers Compound in upstate New York. That revelation came in the 2017 web-slinging adventure and quickly raised questions about who bought Avengers Tower.
After theories ranging from Vincent D'Onofrio's Kingpin to Earth-616's Norman Osborn, fans finally got answers eight years later in Thunderbolts*. The 2025 blockbuster confirmed that Julia Louis-Dreyfus' Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, chairwoman of OXE and director of the CIA, had acquired the skyscraper. Moving forward, the former Avengers Tower is now the Watchtower and will be used as a base of operations for the New Avengers (formerly the Thunderbolts).
In Marvel Studios' Thunderbolts* artbook, production designer Grace Yun confirmed that Avengers Tower has faced a "complete renovation" after Val took over, with only one Iron Man-related room preserved. Yun noted that despite the redesign, Val has maintained Tony Stark's bar as "a bit of Avengers history:"
"Avengers Tower is a familiar set within the MCU, but Val has taken it over - so it is a complete renovation, save for Tony Stark's bar. The Thunderbolts come to confront Val, and she's actually waiting for them. She invites them into her space, which is still under construction. She's standing behind Tony Stark's bar, which she has preserved as a bit of Avengers history."
The MCU production designer noted how she combed through drawings from the Avengers movies as they "were brainstorming what it could be for Val," ultimately keeping things similar but making it "a little more OXE-ified:"
"I got the opportunity to pore through all the past drawings from the 'Avengers' movies and the set design, and we were brainstorming what it could be for Val. We based our drawings off of this bar but added some granite shiny textures to it to make it a little more OXE-ified."
Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark most famously stood at his skyscraper bar in The Avengers, where he offered Tom Hiddleston's Loki a drink amid 2012's Battle of New York and warned him, "We have a Hulk."
It's unclear what Val's views are on Stark himself, but she seems to be aware of how the building's ties to the Avengers can benefit her, as she said in Thunderbolts* that "the place wasn't cheap, but it's got good optics."
Yun also noted elsewhere in the artbook that "Val is a collector of Avengers memorabilia" as she "understands its value and power in the MCU:"
"It's very important to her. She understands its value and power in the MCU world/ She has collected every bit and piece of the Battle of New York, including Loki's scepter (without the stone); one of the Leviathan teeth, which is a centerpiece; the shield, and the Chitauri handcuffs - that kind of thing."
That sense was particularly felt in earlier designs for the Watchtower's penthouse from illustrator Christian Scheurer, which imagined the room as "more of a museum space" with supersuits and memorabilia on full display.
Those weren't the only parts of the Watchtower that were designed for Thunderbolts*, as Scheurer also worked on further rooms for Val, such as a living quarters and a beautiful office that could store her expansive shoe collection.
Val isn't the only person with somewhere to sleep in the Watchtower, as concept artist Henrik Tamm also created Sentry's room as a "calming space" so he could wake up after first unleashing his powers like a "spa experience."
It makes plenty of sense that Lewis Pullman's Bob Reynolds would get his own room, as, funnily enough, the Watchtower takes its name from Sentry's Manhattan base of operations in Marvel Comics.
While Avengers Tower was sold almost a decade ago in the MCU timeline, work still isn't done by the time of Thunderbolts*, with The Blip perhaps providing an obstacle. One floor in particular still looked completely bare, but that didn't stop Val from putting OXE's scientific team to work there.
Furthermore, the Watchtower looks to be kitted out with high-tech lab equipment that will be used by OXE scientists and perhaps some superheroes in the future.
So far, the Watchtower, at least in its current form, has only appeared in Thunderbolts*, which is finally streaming on Disney+. Fans can see the likes of Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Lewis Pullman, Florence Pugh, David Harbour, Hannah John-Kamen, and Wyatt Russell roaming the former Avengers Tower in the 2025 flick.
The MCU's New Avengers Tower Will Return Very Soon
As Thunderbolts*'s post-credit scene takes place in the Watchtower and is believed to be the first clip from Avengers: Doomsday, the renovated New York skyscraper will be back as soon as December 2026.
The Watchtower is now serving as the New Avengers' HQ, and, with the team already in conflict with Sam Wilson's Avengers, one has to wonder how that group will react to the questionable team taking over a key piece of heroic history.
It's unlikely that much time will be spent in the Watchtower beyond the opening, but fans could still see a far more complete renovation by Doomsday. After all, the stinger takes place "14 Months Later" after Thunderbolts*, by which time a high-tech HQ for the New Avengers looks to have been built.
